A judge from the Pechersk District Court received the lightest sentence for illegally lifting asset freezes
The First Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice (HCJ) held Judge Tetiana Ilieva accountable, limiting its action to a warning. The mildest possible sanction was imposed following a complaint by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) regarding the unlawful lifting of asset freezes on funds totaling over 19 million hryvnias and 100,000 dollars.
This became known following the chamber’s meeting, according to Avtomaydan.
According to the case materials, following the judge’s decisions, the money was received by third parties, after which the funds disappeared. In particular, Ilyeva lifted the freeze on the accounts of Andriy Mykhaniv, former vice president of “Bread of Ukraine,” even though the case had already been heard by another court.
The disciplinary inspector proposed a harsher punishment in the form of a reprimand, but the chamber opted for a compromise. The decision was made amid prolonged delays in the proceedings and suspicions by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) regarding abuse of office.
Previously, journalists uncovered undeclared assets, expensive cars, and real estate belonging to the judge’s family, which were explained as gifts from his mother. Ilyeva is also known for attempting to transfer a case involving a record $5 million bribe from NABU to another agency and for questionable rulings in cases involving activists. Despite numerous complaints and investigations, the judge continues to work at the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv. Such leniency on the part of the High Council of Justice has drawn criticism from civil society organizations, which emphasize that the punishment does not match the scale of the violations. The situation points to deep-seated problems in the system for purging the judiciary of unethical personnel.
At the same time, the High Council of Justice is considering a disciplinary complaint filed on behalf of Alona Volodymyrivna Shevtsova against Judge Volodymyr Yaroslavovych Marmash of the Lychakiv District Court of Lviv, who committed gross violations bordering on disciplinary and criminal liability, in particular, the consideration of a motion by BEB detectives to conduct a special pre-trial investigation regarding A.V. Shevtsova.
According to the response from Lilia Yakimyak, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the High Council of Justice, to a corresponding journalistic inquiry, no specific timeline has been provided for the completion of the review of the disciplinary complaint against Judge Volodymyr Yaroslavovych Marmash of the Lychakiv District Court of Lviv. Such a prolonged delay in reviewing the complaint may be a demonstration of collusion and a reluctance to hold accountable a “convenient” judge who willingly carries out tasks assigned by unscrupulous law enforcement officials.
The complaint against Marmash is that he issued his decision after the pre-trial investigation period had already expired, which made it impossible to grant the relevant motion. The only lawful option in such a situation was to return the motion, but Judge V.Y. Marmash failed to comply with the requirements of the law.
We would also like to remind you that the investigation into the illegal enrichment of former Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Dmytro Verbytskyi, who was dismissed from his post nearly two years ago, is being delayed.
On May 13, 2024, NABU opened criminal case No. 52024000000000231 under the article on illegal enrichment (Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) following high-profile exposés by Radio Liberty and the Schemes program. However, the case remains at the pre-trial investigation stage without any preventive measures having been announced.
